[hyouko]

The game is hard, no question, but I'm slowly chipping away at it. The spear-wielding hollow soldiers are giving me a lot of grief, and I see notes recommending that I kick them; how do I do that? The game never bothered to explain the controls for that, so far as I can tell.

Also, something that I've found highly useful for early-game play: If you make a suicide run down through the graveyard where the skeletons live, you can pick up a number of decent weapons and items, including a zweihander and a winged spear. After boosting my dexterity a bit, I'm rocking the latter, and it's made a number of the enemies - particularly the poisonous rats - more manageable.

I do wish the game wasn't quite so stingy in handing out bonfires. After killing off the first boss and a subsequent mini-boss, I was really hoping for a place to refuel. No dice so far.

[hyouko]

[hyouko]

[hyouko]

Just cleared out a trio of additional bosses (Capra Demon, Gaping Dragon and Moonlight Butterfly). I've explored Blighttown down to the lower level, but had to turn back because I couldn't find a damned bonfire anywhere between there and the cave in Darkroot basin. Did I pass one over somewhere, or is the game really just that cruel?

Also: my experience with co-op is a bit inconsistent. I was getting summoned (and doing summoning) regularly in the part of the Undead Burg by the Capra Demon and the Depths. More recently, though: zilch. Nobody seems to be around in Darkroot Garden, Darkroot Basin, Valley of Drakes, or Blighttown. What gives? I'm at level 32 - is that particularly low / high for the areas I'm exploring? Or did I just get bumped to a ghost-town of a server?

[hyouko]

Cleared Anor Londo. The bit with the two archers seemed seriously unfair - fortunately I was able to kill the rightmost one and make my way onward. Apparently there are strategies that you can use if you've got the right magic or joined the right covenants, but I'm SOL on that front.

However, the first truly fuck you moment I've had in this game is in the Duke's Archives. I found a chest and stabbed it twice with my spear to be sure it wasn't a mimic. Seeing no reaction, I opened it and it promptly bit my head off. I'm guessing my spear passed over the chest without actually hitting it.

Also: can anybody tell me what the point of the Darkmoon tomb warp is? It seems completely extraneous given that there are two other warp bonfires quite nearby, and there doesn't seem to be anything interesting I can do there.

Also also: wheel skeletons. Wheel skeletons in the pitch black, attacking three at a time.. Screw them.

[hyouko]

There's a number of items that magically teleport into your inventory once you've killed / maimed your target enough in Dark Souls. I'm guessing that's a concession to the fact that bosses and such can frequently die in impossible-to-reach places.

[hyouko]

Sen's Fortress didn't really open up for me until I managed to pick up the lightning spear hidden in a mimic-chest in said fortress. I feel like I'm making slow but steady progress through the game - whenever I get stuck in one area I just switch over to another area that previously stymied me. Just beat Sif and Ceaseless Discharge - may have cheesed the latter to death since I just did the same thing I saw a guy in a speedrun do, and he went down in a few hits...

Also: hordes of capra demons are fun!

edit: Frampt has fallen asleep. Is there any way to wake him up without potentially enraging him? I've got some crap that I'd like to convert into souls. Actual crap, in the case of the Dung Pies.

[hyouko]

I know! Already gave him just about everything he's interested in, including one Dung Pie fresh from Blighttown. Also - is there anywhere that's particularly good for farming large titanite shards, or anybody that sells them? Trying to get a shield up to +10 so that I can make the Crystal Ring Shield.

[hyouko]

The Crystal Ring Shield makes a pretty secondary shield: not only does it have the awesome ring attack, it's also pretty good at blocking magic and fire attacks. I find that if I swap between it and the Eagle Shield for physical / lightning attacks I have most of my bases covered.

I'm still getting my butt kicked by the Demon Firesage (i.e. Asylum Demon, Round 3). Will have to pump up my Int stat a bit and try using Strong Magic Shield; maybe that'll let me get past it.

[hyouko]

Regarding mimics, I always just give chests a good hearty thwack with whatever weapon I have on hand; if it's just a chest, its feelings are unlikely to be hurt.

I was relying on the Crystal Ring Shield and Strong Magic Shield a bit too heavily, so I may find life a bit tougher going forward (just got Tomb of the Giants and the final area left, I think).

[hyouko]

Divine weapons. You can make one once you find the divine ember (it's up the tower after the Moonlight Butterfly boss fight in the forest area). There's also an occult club that you'll pick up at some point that can be de-made into a Divine Club +5 with a blacksmith's help, which should be great for beating the snot out of skeletons.